Question

Is the Fiat 500 a reliable car in the long run? Is there affordable maintenance in San Francisco? Could I find a used one?

I am looking for a small car and I do not like the aesthetics of Japanese cars. The Fiat 500 is very appealing to me. It seems as though it would be not as highly tuned as the MINI, thus being easier on maintenance and gas mileage.

Then a friend says to me that I should not even consider buying a Fiat as it is prone to mechanical problems and has a flimsy and fragile feel when driving. I am looking for information from anyone experienced with this model so that I can evaluate this friend's opinion.

Looks are subjective. I like the looks of the Fiat as well. Interestingly, the larger Japanese built Suzuki sx-4 AWD crossover hatchback that I bought this summer was designed in Italy, is popular there (called the Sedeci) and bears a strong resemblance to the Fiat 500 exterior styling.

Fiat's biggest obstacle will be overcoming the memory of their rust-prone and sometimes unreliable cars of the 60's and 70's. I drove several of them back then and they were fun - but the rust on brand new cars turned me off. I believe those problems are long gone now. For a fun city car to park anywhere, it would be high on my list to test-drive.

My answer is based on whether or not the 500 is not changed much from the European model that has sold for quite some time in Europe.If it is the same model, then it is one of the most popular small sized selling vehicles in Europe.

I'm curious how your friend would know it is prone to mechanical problems when it hasn't been on the US market long enough to make that determination.

Before you start comparing the smaller vehicles like this, understand that for each one, you will find hoards of complaints on all of them.

So the best advice I can give you is to take all of the information you get from articles, friends "that know" and all of the other garbage out there, and throw most of it away and make your decision based on what you have found out for fact.

Test drive one. Put it through it's paces. I know someone who bought one and hasn't had any problems with it. Is that the norm? I don't know. As I said, it's life span here isn't enough to make that judgement. I do know that the European mechanics I deal with don't have anything to say about a lot of problems with the ones they deal with, other than they are small.